2013
Bulgarian journalists are under attack
This summer, for good reason, the world’s attention was focused on Turkey. Anti-government protests over plans to destroy a park in downtown Istanbul attracted global attention. Ankara’s strategic importance in Syria and the Middle East, as well as being a member of NATO, makes what happens in Turkey important.
Spanish journalist missing in Syria
New York, September 24, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of Spanish journalist Marc Marginedas in Syria. The special correspondent for the Barcelona-based El Periódico was kidnapped by rebel jihadi fighters on September 4 near the city of Hama, the paper reported Monday, citing unnamed sources.
Journalists attacked by masked assailants in Cambodia
Bangkok, September 24, 2013–At least seven journalists were assaulted by a mob of masked men on Sunday while covering a land rights protest in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, according to journalists and local news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the attack and calls for an independent investigation that leads to the…
Mission Journal: Why Turkey matters
Turkey is hardly a press freedom paradise, but what makes the country so exciting for journalists is the amount of news it generates on any given day. The domestic story is huge, with near-daily street protests, the booming economy beginning to sag, and the prospect of regional conflict looming with Syria. And Istanbul is a…
Angolan police assault, detain journalists
New York, September 20, 2013–At least three journalists were assaulted by police and briefly detained today while covering the release of seven individuals who were arrested during a protest on Thursday, according to the journalists and news accounts. Protesters had staged a demonstration against what they called the authoritarian regime of President José Eduardo dos…
Journalists and imperfect justice in Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has hardened the sentence against Abdul Quader Molla, a top Islamist of a key opposition party, from a life term to death for his role in mass killings committed during the country’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. But what caught my eye in particular was that Molla was also convicted…
In Azerbaijan, journalist arrested, newsroom raided
New York, September 19, 2013–Authorities in Azerbaijan must immediately release a journalist who was arrested on Tuesday on fabricated charges and ordered detained for two months, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The press in Azerbaijan must be allowed to freely cover the country’s next presidential vote, scheduled for October 9, if it is…
Radio anchor murdered in Philippines
Bangkok, September 19, 2013–A radio anchor was shot dead in the central region of Cebu City on Saturday, the latest death in a steady stream of killings of journalists in the Philippines. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the murder of Jesus “Jessie” Tabanao and bring his killer…